And he can hit back: Elon tennis player reaches unprecedented success in program

By Jerome Richard / Times-News correspondent

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 10:00 PM.

“He’s taken his game to new levels and I am very excited about the way he performed heading into this spring,” Leonard said. “Cam has worked extremely hard since arriving on campus two years ago and I am excited to see his hard work and dedication pay off.”

Elon University’s junior tennis ace figures to be squarely in opponents’ crosshairs this season after a milestone fall campaign, when Silverman upset several nationally ranked and highly seeded opponents. He became the first Elon tennis player to participate in the national championship tournament.

Those accomplishments helped propel Silverman to a No. 21 national ranking in men’s singles entering the spring season — the highest ever by an Elon player. Unlike in the fall, Silverman will be the hunted instead of the hunter.

“He has an 'X' on his back,” Elon men’s tennis coach Michael Leonard said. “People will be coming at him in the spring.”

Silverman’s ranking puts a bull’s-eye on his back whenever he steps onto the court. There’s pressure to beat the players he’s supposed to beat and expectations to play well, if not beat, other ranked players.

“Every positive brings a bit of a negative,” Silverman said. “Now there is a little pressure to win all my matches to maintain my ranking. I’ll just take it one match at a time.”

Silverman compiled a 12-5 record in the fall and, in addition to being the first Elon player selected to play in the national tournament, became the first to do so from the Southern Conference.

He was selected to play in the USTA / ITA National Indoor Collegiate Championships with an at-large bid. He received the invitation after his runner-up finish at the ITA Carolina Regional in Cary in October.

His march through the tournament included upsets of three nationally ranked players capped by the semifinal toppling of nationally top-ranked Henrique Cunha of Duke. Silverman lost in the regional final, missing an automatic bid to the nationals in Flushing, N.Y. That meant an agonizing wait to see if he would be selected at-large for the 32-man tournament.

“I was cool on the outside, but inside I was churning,” Silverman said of the nearly two-week wait.

During the November tournament in Flushing, Silverman, a native of nearby Mount Kisco, N.Y., played high-ranked opponents. It was an experience that sent his confidence soaring to unparalleled heights.

“It was nice to know that I was right there with those guys,” said Silverman, who posted a 1-2 record. “I was always confident and thought I should be ranked, but having those wins made me see that if I took action, I could accomplish some of the things I wanted to accomplish.”

The action that most helped Silverman was a summer of intense physical training after his sophomore year at Elon. Never one for physical conditioning, Silverman knew he had to get in better shape to reach the next level in his tennis.

“One of my weaknesses was off-court conditioning,” Silverman said. “I knew I needed to improve on that. I worked hard and trained on it over the summer.”

Tangible results followed in the fall campaign when Silverman beat the first ranked opponent of his career — the 55th-ranked player in the country.

“I rode that confidence through the fall,” Silverman said.

Leonard stoked that confidence and helped Silverman deal with the pressure and stress of matches, particularly as his protégé’s status soared. It’s a relationship that Silverman values and knows contributed to his success.

Silverman admitted to a lack of on-court focus and killer instinct at times, especially against a player he’s expected to beat. Leonard’s tactical analysis also proved invaluable during matches.

“Coach Leonard has helped me stay focused,” Silverman said. “If I’m playing a better or higher ranked player, Coach Leonard can size them up in five minutes and let me know how to attack their weaknesses. I take what he says because he’s been there. I’m a little biased because he’s my coach, but he has more knowledge and experience than most big-time coaches I know.”

Leonard’s pride was obvious as he described Silverman’s achievements and tenacity last fall and his potential for the spring — all made possible because of Silverman’s work ethic.

“He’s taken his game to new levels and I am very excited about the way he performed heading into this spring,” Leonard said. “Cam has worked extremely hard since arriving on campus two years ago and I am excited to see his hard work and dedication pay off.”